Photographing an object or scene under low ambient light conditions may require additional light, such as light provided by a flash or strobe. The additional light provided by the flash or strobe may result in colour distortion in the photographed image. The colour distortion may be caused by the flash or strobe illuminating the photographic scene with a different colour of light to that of ambient light.
For example, a scene which may be illuminated with an incandescent light may not be bright enough for photography. In such instances the scene may be further illuminated with an additional light source in the form of a strobe or flash such as a Light Emitting Diode (LED) source. However, such an additional light source can have a different spectral content (or colour temperature) which can have an effect on the colours within the image. For example, a scene containing white walls may be reproduced with a yellow tinge when illuminated by a secondary light source. Furthermore, other colours in the image may also be affected by the colour of the secondary light source.
The consequence of illuminating a photographic scene with a dual light source comprising ambient light and flash light may be attributed to an improper white balance between the light sources.